Mississippi State believes it can be championship contender, but geography suggests otherwise

HOOVER, Alabama- - I know what you're thinking, because you're probably thinking the same thing I am.

Mississippi State? A championship contender?!?

You hear Dan Mullen say "we're not far off from (contending in the SEC West), which means we're not far off from the national title." Then you hear defensive back Johnthan Banks proclaim "We're close. We're right there."

Automatically your eyeballs roll so far back up in your head you look like Little Orphan Annie and you have to stifle a laugh and you overdose on typing punctuation marks like ?!? while you're sitting here at the SEC Kickoff 2012.

"We really don't care what people think," Banks said. "Some people may not believe it, but my teammates and our coaches believe it. We know we've got what it takes to get there. It'll take everybody just believing, buying in, believing we can do it ... I know we believe we can go out and win every game if we put our minds to it."

Google gives you 1.5 million results for "gotta believe," so there must be something to it. And that's exactly how you want a player thinking.

But, outside looking in, it's tough to believe in their belief.

It's because where Mississippi State is. And I'm not talking about Starkville.

Programs that constructed four of the last five national champions reside in the SEC West. And Texas A&M has pledged the fraternity. Twenty-six starters from last January's BCS title game are back this season, and they're all in the division.

Mississippi State could be really, really good, and that wouldn't be good enough.

Mullen has, in fact, brought Mississippi State to that really, really good stage. Put it in the ACC or Big East and everybody's knees go to knocking in those leagues. He's improved the team and he's helped inspire improvements in facilities.

But geography is a killer. A rear-view look is evidence.

Mississippi State's SEC 2011 season began with a 41-34 loss to Auburn, when, Banks stating the obvious, "the defense didn't play worth nuthin'."

That one didn't gnaw at him nearly as long as the next week. The Bulldogs were within three of LSU going into the fourth quarter and lost.

"We ended up giving the game away at the end," said Banks, an engaging young man out of Maben, Miss. (population 803). "That's the game that sticks with you."

They were within 10 of Alabama going into the fourth.

"The big difference for us is we have to make those game-winning plays," Mullen said. "We have to have guys step up and make those game-winning plays."

"When we finally win a game like that, the SEC better watch out," he said. "That's only going to build our confidence and make us a better team."

Whether you believe the Bulldogs are capable of that win, beside the point.

The 7-6 season was a two-game setback from the previous year. Banks admitted that team and staff didn't work as hard in the off-season leading into it.

However, the Bulldogs did knock off Ole Miss for the third straight season.

Much has been made of a marketing campaign that has strategically planted Mississippi State billboards across the state, declaring itself as "the" state university and touting its supremacy in its rivalry with Ole Miss since Mullen's arrival.

"The neatest one was the 'three in a row' one," Mullen said.

That's not three football wins over Ole Miss.

That's three consecutive Miss State women being crowned as Miss Mississippi.

Believe this: That's really hitting Ole Miss where it hurts.

Contact Mark McCarter at mark.mccarter@htimes.com and follow him on Twitter @markmccarter